Sold Vaca rental and sitting on $?

[Paul K.]

I am relatively new here but any suggestions or direction would be greatly appreciated.  

I sold my vacation rental in July, doubled my investment, and now have a decent amount of cash that I'm not sure what to do with.  I was in a career transition during that time and I have missed the window for a 1031 exchange as nearly 3 months have passed.  Is there any way to invest the capital gains so as to avoid paying too much in taxes?

Does anyone have any suggestions/direction of what to do with the cash in such an expensive and competitive market? (I live in San Francisco)

Thank you for any comments, suggestions and/or direction!